From a photo to a confirmed order: how lamp reads a purchase order

How purchase orders really arrive

On paper, a PO arrives as a clean PDF by email. In real life it arrives in many ways:

• a photo of a printed PO, taken at an angle on a desk
• a PDF forwarded on WhatsApp from the customer's purchase team
• a screenshot of an email
• a voice note that says "same as last time, 2,000 pieces"

Someone in your office reads it. They type it into Tally or a register, check the rate, check stock and tell the floor. If that person is busy, the PO waits. If they misread one number, the mistake travels all the way to dispatch.

lamp takes the first pass at all of this.

One PO, step by step

Here is how one PO goes.

You forward the photo. A customer sends a photo of PO 4471. You forward it to lamp on WhatsApp. No typing.

lamp reads it. It finds the customer (Apex Pumps), the item (impeller housings), the quantity (2,000), the rate (₹118 each) and the due date (2 November).

lamp checks the rate. It compares ₹118 with the last quote you sent this customer for this item. Here they match. If they did not, lamp would ask you first.

lamp creates the order. It prepares the order with the details from the PO.

lamp checks stock. It looks at what you have. In this example there is enough for 1,600 housings. 400 are short.

lamp drafts a purchase for the rest. It prepares a purchase for the material needed for the other 400. You see it before it goes to any supplier.

You approve. One message comes to you with everything: the order, the stock position and the draft purchase. You tap yes, or change what you need to.

When something does not match

lamp asks one short question. It does not guess, and it does not hold up the whole order. It points to the one thing that is different and asks what to do.

Some examples:

• Rate. "The PO says ₹118. Your last quote to this customer was ₹124. Accept ₹118, or reply to the customer?"
• Quantity. "The PO says 2,000. The enquiry was for 1,500. Go with 2,000?"
• Date. "The PO asks for 2 November. That is earlier than your usual time for this item. Should I ask the customer?"

You answer in a word or two, and lamp carries on. It also remembers your answer. If you accept a lower rate for this customer, lamp knows next time.

Why a stock check before the order matters

Many delivery problems start on the day the order is taken. The order is accepted, and only later someone finds the material is short. By then the due date is close.

Checking stock when the PO arrives gives you time. You know on day one that 400 pieces need material. The purchase can go out the same day, not a week later.

It also helps with the customer. If you know on day one that 400 pieces depend on a supplier, you can tell the customer early. Or you can offer to send 1,600 first and the rest later. That choice stays with you, and lamp can draft the message once you decide.

This is part of lamp's order to delivery value stream. It also connects to getting paid on time. The order lamp creates today becomes the invoice it follows up on later.

What lamp reads from

lamp reads POs from photos, PDFs, screenshots and voice notes. It checks rates and stock against what you already use: Tally, an ERP, Excel or Google Sheets, or photos of your registers. All of these connections are read-only. lamp never changes anything in your existing system.

If you have no stock register at all, lamp can set up a simple one for you.

Where it is still early

Handwriting is harder. Printed POs read well. Handwritten ones, especially with crossed-out numbers, are harder. [PLACEHOLDER: known limits on handwritten POs]

Poor photos cause mistakes. A photo taken in low light, at a sharp angle, or with part of the page cut off can be misread. [PLACEHOLDER: simple photo guidance for owners]

"Same as last time" needs a last time. A voice note like this works only if lamp has seen an earlier order from that customer.

Stock is only as good as the records. If material was used but not entered, lamp's stock figure will be off. It tells you which register or sheet the number came from, so you can check.

Every step comes to you first. Because any of the above can go wrong, nothing goes to a customer or supplier without your OK.

Try it

If POs pile up on your WhatsApp and someone has to retype each one, this is a good place to start. See how lamp works, read Introducing lamp, or check pricing.